The July auction at North American Fur Auctions was the combination of a couple of unfortunate realities in the fur market. Demand is low for fur, and we just had a big fur auction two months prior. As most expected, results of this auction were fairly poor, with a few small bright spots.
At this point, it tough to know for sure how the winter 2018-2019 fur market will shape up, but with a great deal of inventory left to be sold, a strong U.S. dollar, and still-weak economies in Russia and China mean the low fur prices we’ve been seeing recently will continue for at least another year, perhaps two. We as trappers need to understand this going into the upcoming season, and use this information to make wise decisions on which furbearers to pursue, and how much effort to put on the line. Those of us who trap for reasons independent of fur price will continue as always, while those who factor in the economic benefit of a fur check will continue to scale back. The exception will be Western coyotes and bobcats, which continue to buck the trend of low fur prices due to their demand in niche markets.
Here are some results:
Muskrat: 53% sold at $3.14
Fisher: 42% sold at $32
Marten: 58% of Heavy I sold at $71, 52% of Semi Heavy I sold at $51
Beaver: 52% of Eastern sold at $13, 31% of Western sold at $9, 100% of Section III sold at $8
Otter didn’t sell
Raccoon: 20% sold at $4.33
Coyote: 100% of Heavy sold at $82, 53% of Semi sold at $67, 88% of Eastern sold at $24, 100% of Section III sold at $8
Lynx didn’t sell
Bobcat: 65% of Western sold at $470, other sections did not sell
Mink, Red Fox, Grey Fox, Possum didn’t sell
Beaver Castor: 100% sold, #1 @$4.50/oz, #2@$3.87/oz, #3@$2.62/oz
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